Frida Kahlo: A Visual Dictionary (opens in new tab)

Frida Kahlo didn’t become one of the most famous figures of the 20th century by chance. The popular image of the artist that persists in Barbie dolls and on coffee mugs was a carefully constructed avatar — proof, according to the costume designer Jon Bausor, that “she was a living work of art.” Kahlo had an awareness of the power of visuals from an early age: She chose clothing that concealed her disability but highlighted her heritage; she darkened her eyebrows, but refused to separate them....